Singer-songwriter Scott Helman released Hotel de Ville, his full-length, major-label debut, last month. The 21-year-old musician stopped by the Citizen office to play a few songs, and spoke to Lynn Saxberg about creating the new album, living with ADHD and the “absurdity” of being on the road.

Q: Your new record has Montreal all over it, starting with the title, Hotel de Ville. Why that particular city?

A: This girl I’m in love with was living there. We started seeing each other so I had to go live there, do it for real. Make it work. Which is in the intro, me declaring it to her, ‘Look, let’s make this happen.’ I have no disrespect to anybody my age who’s in an open relationship or polyamorous or they’re single. All types of relationships are great, but I just think it takes a certain amount of courage to look at someone and say, let’s do this for realsies. So that’s pretty much what the record is to me.

Q: So your mission was to chronicle the relationship?

A: I think the goal was really to be honest about what was going on in my life because the experience of being on tour taught me that people want to share experiences with you. People don’t want to be told what to think. I think it’s much more enjoyable and powerful for people to watch someone’s narrative and say, ‘Oh wow, that person is telling me what’s going on in their life, and I feel that correlates to what’s going on in my life.’

Q: The music covers a wide spectrum of pop, from indie rock to R&B. Why the diversity?

A: I really wanted to explore sounds. I felt like I built myself a base with my first EP and I’m not trying to figure out who I am so much as an artist anymore. I’m comfortable as an artist. This is how I like to make music and I know what it’s going to sound like live. So taking that comfortability and messing with it was quite fun. This record goes all over the place, but I like that because each song to me is like a day, a moment. I can see myself sitting in my apartment in Montreal dreaming about this girl, and I can see myself in Kites downing four beers and heading out to have the time of my life. I just hope people find at least one song where they go, ‘That is the day I’m having right now.’

Q: Your bio mentions the fact that you have ADHD. How much of a challenge is it to focus on a project?

A: That’s why I love collaborating because allowing people into your life to help you write songs is as much of an art form as anything else. I work with people that understand me and draw the art out of me because they help me focus. There are certain things I can do on my own to help me sit down and write music. But there’s nothing that’s more of a force in helping me get into the zone than working with (co-writers) Simon Wilcox or Tawgs Salter or Todd Clark.

Q: Do you take medication for your condition?

A: I used to. I did take a lot of things in high school. Biphentin, Adderall, fish oil pills, Concerta. And then alcohol, pot and other things. But to be honest with you, they just made me feel like s—. And made me grumpy and depressed. I didn’t eat. For some people, it works. I don’t believe in knocking medications because each person’s body is different. It’s important to find what works for you, and sometimes it’s a journey. That’s why I put a big old Adderall pill on the back of my record. It’s part of my journey.

Q: How do you manage it now?

A: I’m lucky I have a support system in my life, and I’ve organized my life in such a way that allows me to be ADHD within it. Anytime I feel like I’m falling, it just pulls me back into this gooey awesomeness. My friends and family understand how I operate. My girlfriend is awesome. I think that’s the first step with mental illness is to try to find the people and organize your life in a way that’s most beneficial for you. That’s kinda how I’ve dealt with it. And meditation, going for walks, turning off my phone, making sure I get enough sleep. It’s not as bad as it sounds.

Q: How do you feel about touring?

A: I feel good. I like being on the road. I like the absurdity of it sometimes. You play to thousands of people and then you’re in the Wendy’s drive-through with sauce all over your shirt in the middle of nowhere. But it’s fun because my band is there. You’re a team and I like being in a team when I’m the captain.

Q: What about the energy of being on stage?

A: That’s amazing. I’m not going to lie, but it’s hard to manage when you’re in a car, on stage, in a car. It’s kind of insane. You need the discipline to learn how to wind down after a show. You’re amped. You just got a shot of adrenalin, and also sang your heart out. Then you’re sitting alone in a hotel room going, ‘Where’s the party, what’s going on?’ So you gotta learn how to sit down. It’s really weird going from an encore to reading a novel alone in a room. You just have to learn how to manage that.

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